Leveling up the World

Chapter 918: Dallion's Prophecy

The wagon sped through the wilderness, leaving trails of dust behind it. It was pulled by a pair of cutlings, of all creatures. Dallion had coated the harnesses with aether, making sure that the creatures wouldnt destroy any part of the wagon. At the same time, they could freely run through trees, rocks, and any other obstacles on the road. And of course, there was the threat of Nox should they try to get out of control.

Nice gear, Pan said. The copyette had the spitting image of the merchant that had initially taken Dallion to Nerosal. Only this time, the wagon was full of weapons and ammunition.

Thanks. Eury made it for me.

The copyette whistled.

I know, Im a lucky guy. Dallion laughed. I just hope I reach the capital on time.

Im doing the best I can, Pan grumbled. Its bad enough we took this shortcut. The death rate along here is thirty percent.

Itll be fine. Dallion tapped the hilt of his harpsisword.

Im counting on that. Whats the good in earning a huge profit if Im not there to enjoy it?

I hear you.

So far, they had been extremely lucky. There hadnt been a single cloud fort the entire trip. If things continued like this, they would be at their destination in half a day, safe and sound.

Keep on driving, Dallion turned around. Ill check the cargo.

Right. Ill yell if something pops up.

Carefully, Dallion moved to the back of the wagon. Wooden crates were everywhere, each with a mark of a waxing blue Moon. Dallion opened one. Rows of orange crossbow bolts lined the crates. They looked normal to the naked eye, yet Dallion knew that they werent just boltsthey were rockets.

What the heck? He froze.

All this seemed too weird, as if he was experiencing dj vu. No, not dj vu; it closely resembled a few dreams hed had years ago. The wagon, the weapons, the conversation with Fatunalthough in this case it was Pan with Fatuns appearance Everything had been part of his dream, only slightly different. For one thing, Eury wasnt with them in his dream.

Everything okay back there? Pan asked.

Looks like. Dallion placed his hand on the top of a crate. All fine on your end?

Not sure. Clouds are gathering. Its too far to tell if theyre aiming for us.

Keep on going. If we run, theyll just chase us. Maybe theyll take us for ordinary merchants.

Ordinary merchants, the driver repeated. I used to be that once, before you got me involved in this. Too late to back out now. He laughed.

Dallion glanced towards the front. Only a crack of the sky was visible, but enough for him to see the threat Pan had mentioned. Dozens of clouds were forming, all converging on a single point. An army of furies was gathering.

I should never have built the rockets, Dallion whispered.

It was too late to do anything about it now. There was one glimmer of hope, thoughthe clouds were white. All crimson furies belonged outright to the emperor and had a few special skills.

Do you want me to call Dark? Euryale asked, moving closer.

No.

If it came to a confrontation, there would be no winners. Even if the trio destroyed the armies with their skills and part of the weapons they were carrying, in the long term they would only kill off their own forces. The goal of this suicide mission was to gain enough allies to stand against the Order and the nymphs.

Gleam, Dallion summoned the spectral shardfly from his realm. Can you mask us well enough?

If theyre only furies, sure. The creature fluttered around his head, her size reduced to that of a normal butterfly. If theres something else, there might be problems.

Gem, help her. Dallion summoned the aetherfish. And be quick. He hesitated. You can use a fragment of the dragon heart. Not a lot, though!

Yes, boss the glowing jellyfish said, then followed Gleam out in the open.

So negative, his roommate said, then smiled. Good. It means youre learning. But no, Im not here to give you some ominous warning, just to wish you good luck.

Dallion narrowed his eyes.

Why? he asked.

Because youve reached the endgame. You cant imagine how long it took for everything to get here. Millions gave up along the way, and here you are. Thats why youre one of my favorites.

And the archbishop? Was he one of your favorites as well?

Simon is an entirely different story I cant get into right now.

He has the empathy trait.

All four of you have all four traits. Thats one of the requirements for getting here. It doesnt guarantee anything, but you cant manage without it.

So, this really is a game for your amusement To his own surprise, Dallion didnt feel any anger or spite. Even the fear had vanished, as if he had come to the acceptance. The Jiroh in the awakening trial was right.

Make it to the end and youll find out. The Moon laughed.

Felygn, wait! Tell me

Dallion tried to take a step forward. Upon doing so he found himself back in the wagon, sitting as he had before falling asleep.

Dont be nervous, Eury said. Were almost there.

Im not, he lied. He could tell that there was some unspecified danger linked to the whole thing. Im thinking of the leveling up.

Eager to become a world ruler? A cluster of Eurys snakes turned in his direction. Dont be. Things only get more complicated.

At least I wont be stuck dealing with the minor things.

If youre having difficulty with the trifles, how will you handle the really important things?

Dallion had no answer to that, not that it dissuaded him. If he became the sole power in the world, hed no longer have to run around serving anyone. Becoming a new player was much better than remaining the leading piece.

Outside the back of the wagon, two Moons appeared on the horizon. One was the Green Moon Dallion was following. The other one had a pale yellowish color he hadnt seen before.

Whats that Moon? Dallion asked.

Felygn, Eury replied without even turning around.

No, not that. The other one.

The comment got a quick reaction. The snakes on the entire back of the gorgons head stretched out, looking at the horizon for several seconds.

Theres just one Moon, the gorgon replied with a sigh. Dal, did you skip sleep again?

I slept, Dallion lied. And still, he could see two Moons, one of which wasnt supposed to exist.

If the Star was a Moon, maybe the sun could be as well? he asked out loud.

In all the scrolls, it was written that there were Seven Moons and twelve suns, which represented constellations of skills. Yet, if that was the case, what did the real sun correspond to? It wasnt mentioned anywhere. Could it be the lost Eight Moon? Or maybe it was the new Starthe scorching, merciless ball of power that burned everyone that tried to get close to it?

Just hang on a little longer, the gorgon said. Once this is over, well be able to get some rest.

Ive seen this before, Dallion thought. Only slightly different.

The archbishop hadnt been lying when hed said that prophecies werent unique to him. The difference was that Dallion had only realized that once, his vision of the future had come to pass. Now, just as before, he had no clue what the outcome would be.